The World of motocross is in a beautiful place at the moment. On both sides of the Atlantic, we are seeing exciting, bright, talented riders leading the way into the next decade of greateness and seeing both Jett Lawrence and Lucas Coenen winning on the weekend, both celebrating with their own youthful exuberance, well, for me, a 64 year old media guy, it sure makes me want to keep watching motocross well into my 70s.

Below are some comments from the Grand Prix riders, who put on a show in Finland last weekend. A lot of great performances, and some doing it tough, but all in all, worthy of our respect, in a sport that is the toughest in the World. JP/KTM image

Lucas Coenen: “I was a bit angry after being 2nd so many times in recent GPs, even if I was consistent, but I switched off during the summer break and now I’m on the grind. I made life a bit difficult in the second moto with a tip-off and I also damaged the clutch, but I kept sending-it and was really happy to win. The first moto was great even if the lapped riders were quite hard to deal with and I also had some arm-pump but that’s part of it. We are back on top baby. Today I turned it on, and made some improvements. We’ll keep building.”

Kay de Wolf: “It’s great to be back on the top step – that was the goal this weekend: to take 60 points from the round after the break. After Matterley, we sat down and made a plan – I skipped my holiday and went straight back to work. I think I managed my rhythm really well this weekend. Together with the team, we stuck to the plan and did exactly what we needed to do: go 1-1-1. All the hard work paid off – I couldn’t have done it without this team. My mechanics drove hours and hours so I could get in the right training over the last two weeks. My family, my girlfriend – everyone behind me – they’ve all put in so much. This one feels emotional. To deliver this result after everything we put into it… it means a lot.”

Romain Febvre: "I made it hard for myself all weekend with bad starts as well as mistakes yesterday and in the first moto today. We definitely have to work on the starts; as we saw at Matterley, if I start near the front I can win. I got close in the second race when Lucas fell but I had to fight hard coming from the back and I paid the penalty; I thought I could maybe do something at the end but I had used too much energy before that and had to settle for second."

Calvin Vlaanderen: Finally! It’s been a long time coming and it’s great to be back on the podium. There have been days and weeks of hard work behind the scenes to get here, and the whole team has put in so much effort. I can’t thank them enough, as well as my family and girlfriend who are also always behind me. My speed was good all weekend and the bike was faultless, which made things a lot easier for me. I lacked a little fitness near the end of Race Two, so I couldn’t push for the win, but overall, it’s been a great weekend and it’s nice to repay the team for all their hard work.

Jago Geerts: Overall, I’m happy with my weekend. I had a big crash in Warm-up this morning where I was lucky to not be injured, so I lacked a little confidence in Race One. But then in Race Two, I had a good start, rode my own race, and finished sixth. So, with fifth in the Qualifying Race yesterday, it’s been two good results out of the three races.

Sacha Coenen: “I’m really happy to have a podium at this GP because I’ve been sick all weekend. Happy to be up here for three podiums now…and let’s keep the ball rolling.”

Simon Laengenfelder: “Not the easiest weekend here in Finland. It was a new venue, a new track, which I actually enjoyed but somehow I didn’t really perform that well. I had a good start in the first moto but went off-track and into the mud. When I fought back I could only reach 6th and then to 5th in the second moto. It did not really click this weekend but now we’ll look toward Loket and some hard-pack.”

Andrea Adamo: “Good day. A solid one, and what we needed in the sand. It’s hard to beat Kay [De Wolf] in this terrain so it’s a big result when we can stay close. I’m pretty happy and a 2-3 was the best we could do today.”

Glenn Coldenhoff: “With my gate-pick, I was a little worried for Sunday – but I managed to pull the holeshot in both races, which was very positive. In race 1, Coenen passed me straight away and I couldn’t quite stay with him. I held on to second, Bona was closing in towards the end, but I had it under control. In race 2, I came together with Fernandez early on and crashed. My handlebar was bent, the levers were out of position, but I kept fighting. I really believed I could still reach the podium, but unfortunately, I just missed out. It is a shame – I pushed really hard in that second race. I think my speed was strong all weekend and I truly believe it should have been a podium. I still have to be happy with where things are right now – I am feeling good on the bike, I am strong physically, and I am in a good place mentally. I still believe I can make it to the top, and we will keep working hard to hopefully give Fantic a first GP win.”

Andrea Bonacorsi: “It was a good weekend and a very good first race – we definitely made big steps forward compared to the last three rounds. I have to be happy, and I also gained some positions in the championship standings. Unfortunately, I crashed on the opening lap of race 2, and then halfway through the race I stalled the bike, and from that point on I started to run out of energy a little. I couldn’t make up ground and ended up losing a few spots. All in all, we have to be pleased with the progress we made this weekend. There are still many races to go, and we will keep pushing.”

Brian Bogers: “I got sick and was feeling pretty bad on Friday, so I am honestly happy I was able to ride at all this weekend. Even on Sunday morning after warm-up, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to race. We decided to give it a go – and I ended up finishing eighth, which really surprised me. That gave me the confidence to line up for race 2 as well. I didn’t make things easy for myself with a crash on the first lap, but I found my rhythm, rode my own race, and made some good passes to finish ninth – which gave me eighth overall. Considering I wasn’t even sure I would be on the gate, I have to be happy with that.”

Jeremy Seewer: “This was a weekend where we had to try a lot of different things - the track was incredibly rough, and it was really tough to find the right balance and setup. But we’re used to testing, and at least we made progress throughout the weekend. We didn’t make any big mistakes, which was important because the track was super tricky. We’re not where we should be yet, especially in conditions like this, where it’s not just about the start. But there were still some positives. We’ll keep working, we know where we need to improve, and we’ll get there. It’s not always up to me - I’m giving it my best. This is part of the process, and we just need to stay patient, stay positive and keep looking forward.”

Mattia Guadagnini: “Unfortunately, due to recent injuries, I’ve only had about two and a half hours of riding in the past month - literally just two and a half training sessions. And on a track like this, that lack of time on the bike really shows. So just finishing both motos already feels like an achievement. It definitely wasn’t a great race for me, and I know there’s a lot of work and training ahead to get back to where I want to be. I’m not looking for excuses - I treated this weekend as part of the process, almost like a training session to help rebuild my fitness. I’m focused on putting in the work and coming back stronger at the next race.”

Liam Everts: “It’s frustrating, of course, especially because I felt great on the bike and was leading the race when it happened. But this is part of the sport. I’ve had checks and confirmed it’s a sacral fracture, so I’m heading home now to rest and begin the recovery process. Thanks to the team and everyone for the support – we’ll be back.”

Mathis Valin: "It was not an easy day. I crashed directly in the second corner when I took the rear wheel of another bike and then I crashed again further round the first lap so I was completely last. But I found my good rhythm and could pass many guys for eighth. I started mid-pack in the second moto and it was a tough race;the track was very bumpy and there is no rest anywhere. For sure it was hard for everyone, particularly in the heat and the thin air, and I was already a little tired after the first moto. I still miss the experience to deal with this at the GPs, but I learnt a lot this weekend and this will help me in the future."

Ruben Fernandez: A very disappointing way to end the GP, which ended up being a real challenge due to the track and the weather. In the first race I got a good start and was inside the top five for most of the race before I lost my rhythm and dropped down to sixth. Then in race two I got another good start and was in second place, when another rider hit my bike and we went down. I remounted as quickly as possible and was working my way back through the field when it became apparent that the bike was damaged and I pulled into pitlane. Obviously this isn’t what I wanted and isn’t a fair reflection of how I was riding, but I’ll just have to regroup for Loket next time out.

Thibault Benistant: Not an easy weekend here in Finland. But in the end, it was not too bad. My starts were good in both races, and I was able to make quick passes in the first few corners to move near the front. This track was difficult to feel comfortable on, but I made the best of it and gave it everything I had like always. To just miss the podium is unfortunate, but to be consistently near the front in both races is really positive.

Karlis Reisulis: Overall, today has been positive. I had a good jump in Race One, but then someone fell in front of me in turn two so I had to fight back after that. I had another good start in the second race and struggled a little bit to find my rhythm. However, I felt good and strong on the bike in Race Two, especially near the end, so I’m happy with how today has gone as it’s a big step in the right direction.

Rick Elzinga: It’s been a difficult weekend, as I picked up an illness of some sort on Thursday, and combined with a tough track and the heat, it’s been a challenging GP. In the races, my starts weren’t the best, so that made it even more difficult for me, but ninth overall is not too bad considering the circumstances. My focus is now to get over this illness and be ready for the next race in Loket.

Valerio Lata: Definitely not my best weekend, and one that I really need to make sure doesn’t happen again. I never got to grips with the track and despite trying everything with the team, we couldn’t make it easier to ride and I just struggled in every session. This has really made it clear that I need to work on riding in the sand and make sure I do better when we visit Lommel and Arnhem.

Francisco Garcia: "It was not an easy race but the speed was there. I crashed on the first lap and stalled the engine, then I stopped again in a rut further round the lap, but I pushed hard after that to come from last to tenth. It was not my best result but I gave my maximum and earnt another podium."

Camden McLellan: “Tough weekend. It was a hot one, with two long motos around a really rough track. Two mediocre starts and fighting through the pack. I gave it everything I had all weekend, and a small crash in race one didn’t help things in that one. Then my start in the second race wasn’t the best so it was another tough one. Now it’s on to the next GP in the Czech Republic.”

Guillem Farres: “It was a new track for everyone this weekend, and it’s nice to head to new places to race. The weekend started well with third in the qualifying race, but then in the first moto, I didn’t get the best of starts and finished seventh. Then, in the second race I was running sixth for a while and then crashed twice on the same lap. It’s unfortunate to end the weekend like this, but we’ll keep working and be ready for Loket in two weeks.”